


Like There's Nothing Else to Do

by pansythoughts



Series: Softer Shades [4]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic, Festivals, Fluff, M/M, Some serious conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-24 00:39:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12001296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pansythoughts/pseuds/pansythoughts
Summary: A local summer festival seems like the perfect opportunity for Ryuseitai to bond as a unit. Admittedly, Kanata wishes that it was a bit more of an opportunity for just him and Chiaki.A festival is attended, discussions deeper than expected are had, and, ultimately, a fish does not get caught.





	Like There's Nothing Else to Do

Kanata wakes up slowly, feeling the sunlight streaming across his face. He blinks a few times, reminding himself that this isn’t his room, and he isn’t at home. Instead, there is a poster for a super sentai show taped up on the wall directly in front of him, and a basketball signed by some famous athlete on a shelf to his right. He smiles a little; he’s always happy when he gets to wake up in Chiaki’s room.

Chiaki, however, is nowhere to be found. This isn’t particularly unusual; even though Chiaki isn’t really a morning person, he’s always awake before than Kanata. Kanata eases himself out of Chiaki’s low bed, swaying a little, and spares a glance to the guest futon half-heartedly laid out on the floor. Chiaki always insists on putting out the futon when Kanata stays over, even though they both know Kanata won’t use it.

Kanata pads out of the room, looking around the apartment for any sign of Chiaki. (He know’s Chiaki’s parents aren’t home today, and is secretly relieved-- while Chiaki’s parents don’t seem too bad, Kanata knows he’s bad with other people’s parents.) He ends up finding Chiaki in the kitchen, half-slumped over the kitchen table with his breakfast. He looks rumpled and still half-asleep; Kanata smiles again at the sight.

“Good morning, Chiaki,” Kanata greets softly. Chiaki visibly startles a little at Kanata’s voice, but turns around with a toothy grin that, if pressed, Kanata would admit makes his heart skip a beat.

“Good morning, Kanata! There’s leftovers on the stove if you want some for breakfast,” Chiaki says, gesturing to last night’s grilled fish that Chiaki knows might be Kanata’s favorite. Kanata makes himself a plate and sits down across the table from Chiaki. Before he can start eating, Chiaki hands Kanata a bottle of soy sauce with a smaller, softer smile than before. Kanata can’t help but smile back; he feels that way most of the time around Chiaki. 

“Chiaki,” Kanata begins, “do you have ‘stunt work’ to do today?” He looks up from his fish to peer at Chiaki, who's gone back to being half-slumped over the table.

To Kanata’s mild relief, Chiaki shakes his head. “Nope! Today’s a day off from everything,” he replies, through a mouth full of food. Kanata nods thoughtfully, and plan half-forming. Today is the first day in a while that they’re off from school when Ryuseitai has no unit activities, and Kanata wants to make sure that they take advantage of that. Chiaki has been looking worn down again recently, and Kanata can’t stand that. 

“We should do ‘something’ today,” Kanata says, inflecting the words that he most wants to get across just a little differently, as usual. “Something ‘fun,’ on our ‘day off.’” 

Chiaki seems to perk up at the suggestion. “Mm, good idea, Kanata. Did you have something in mind?”

“I heard about a ‘festival’ in the next town, by the ‘sea,’” Kanata replies. “It will be ‘fun’ to go to a festival where we don’t have to ‘work’ at all.”

Chiaki nods slowly, another big grin forming on his face. “That sounds great, especially since the last time we went to a festival was for the Shooting Star festl. I mean, that was fun! But it’ll be really good to just enjoy a festival without any kind of stress!” 

Kanata bobs his head, happy that Chiaki agrees. “I want to ‘go’ to the festival with Chiaki.” 

“Should we-” Chiaki hesitates, “maybe we should- we should invite the kids!” Chiaki bites his lip, torn--Kanata suspects-- between what Kanata thinks he may want and being what he thinks is a good leader. Kanata’s noticed that Chiaki does that, sometimes, ignores his own feelings or needs in order to do what he thinks is best for Ryuseitai, for everyone. Kanata pouts a little; he hates when Chiaki does that, because it makes it more obvious than usual that Chiaki is his own last priority.

But-- “If Chiaki wants to have the ‘kids,’ that would be ‘ok.’” Kanata can’t deny Chiaki anything. 

“I’ll line everyone! Really great idea, Ryusei Blue! Today is going to be good!”

~~~ 

The festival is bright, colorful, and as lively as hoped. With varying levels of enthusiasm, everyone had jumped at the chance to go to a festival for play rather than work. When Kanata cheerfully reminded Chiaki that they all had matching casual yukata--not just the stage outfits they had worn, Chiaki had insisted they all wear them again, to get the “full festival experience.”

It seems the full festival experience is, specifically, what Chiaki is after. At every turn, Kanata finds Chiaki pulling the first years into every activity possible. Kanata watches Chiaki help win Shinobu a balloon yo-yo, then turn around to cheer on Tetora at the shooting gallery. He hears Midori idly mention that he wants takoyaki under his breath, then watches Chiaki present all three first years with a fresh order of takoyaki minutes later. By all accounts, Chiaki is playing the perfect host, the perfect leader.

But, decidedly, he doesn’t look like he’s having that much fun. Chiaki darts from one activity to the next, pulling their kouhai by the hands and laughing boisterously, but Kanata sees right through him; Kanata knows when Chiaki’s smiles aren’t genuine.

“Blue,” Chiaki calls, gesturing over to Kanata, “come here, I’ll catch you another fish!” As Kanata walks closer, he can see that Chiaki’s tired. His smile is duller than Kanata knows it can be, and doesn’t reach his eyes the same way it did in Chiaki’s kitchen just that morning. It worries, Kanata, annoys him a little, but he lets it be for the moment-- distracted by the goldfish at the stall.

But as Chiaki goes through one, two, five broken scoops, Kanata sees just how tired Chiaki is. Chiaki is so much more coordinated than this, so much less clumsy. Chiaki smiles sheepishly, and goes to buy another goldfish scoop. This, however, is about as much as Kanata can stand, and instead of letting him go, he gives Chiaki a good “Ryusei Chop.”

“Chi-a-ki,” Kanata drags out the word, so Chiaki knows he’s serious. By the little gulp Chiaki makes, he can tell Chiaki understands. “You’re being ‘silly,’ again.”

“Blue, I don’t know what you mean? I’ve just been trying to make sure everyone has a fun time at the festival!” Chiaki shrugs, confused.

“‘That’s’ the problem,” Kanata pouts, “Chiaki always puts ‘everyone else’ above ‘himself.’ It’s ok to just ‘enjoy’ things. It’s our day off.” 

“But we invited the kids, I have to make sure they’re having fun and making memories-” Kanata cuts Chiaki off with a firm shake of his head.

“They’re ‘kids,’ but not dumb, Chiaki. They don’t need to be looked after. We’re all ‘comrades,’ right? Aren’t comrades ‘equals?’”

This, finally, seems to resonate with Chiaki, but his face immediately falls. “I’ve been smothering them again, haven’t I?”

Kanata takes Chiaki’s hand in response, and threads their fingers together. “Only ‘a little.’” Chiaki bites his lip, but Kanata squeezes his hand. “No ‘negativity,’ no beating yourself up. You’re ‘good,’ just silly.”

At that, Chiaki finally smiles, a real genuine smile, for the first time all night. “Thanks, Kanata,” he says softly, squeezing Kanata’s hand back.

That exact moment, the festival’s fireworks start up, startling both of them. Kanata looks around them, and sees that everyone in the crowd’s focus is on the fireworks, not what might be around them. He can’t help but take this opportunity, and leans in, kissing Chiaki softly. As they pull apart, Chiaki stares at Kanata, a little helplessly, a lot smitten. Kanata can’t help but smile back.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my contribution for Supernova, the ryuseitai zine! This was planned and started before the festival event happened, so imagine my surprise when my story idea became so close to canon!
> 
> ChiaKana is so soft no matter what you try to do to them, it's ridiculous.


End file.
